NICOSIA/VILNIUS: Armenian director Jivan Avetisyan has just completed his Sci-Fi drama Revival / Veratznvantze. The international cast of this Armenian/Cypriot/Lithuanian coproduction is led by Armand Assante (USA), Robin Hairabian, and Clémence Baudouin (France), Maia Morgenstern (Romania), Heino Ferch (Germany), and Babken Chobanyan (Armenia).
Murat Arakelian (27), a brilliant engineering student at the Polytechnic Institute of Marseilles, is developing OR.CH.I.D. (ORganizer of CHaotic Input Data), an innovative AI project, under the supervision of Professor Jean Perbost (65). Poised to compete in a prestigious palliative AI care exhibition organised by the university, the project is on the verge of securing a major investment from Rossun Corporation. But Jean’s hopes are derailed when Murat abandons the project to investigate a haunting mystery surrounding his father’s death. His search takes him to Armenia during a war outbreak, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, prompting OR.CH.I.D.’s evolution into a self-aware AI. OR.CH.I.D. forces Jean to confront a dark truth: Rossun’s entanglement in war crimes. Jean stands at a crossroads: safeguard his university’s legacy or expose the devastating truth uncovered by OR.CH.I.D.
Narine Voskanyan (Armenia) and Monique Peterson (USA) penned the script.
“As the Cypriot producer of this project, I am proud to support a film that carries deep emotional resonance and highlights the global significance of the Artsakh tragedy. Growing up alongside the Armenian community in Cyprus, one of the island’s oldest minorities, showed me how closely our histories and experiences are connected. The film explores universal themes of resilience, loss, and hope, echoing Cyprus’s own collective memory after 1974. By bringing this story on screen, we help preserve voices that might otherwise be forgotten and foster a deeper sense of empathy and understanding. For Cyprus, this collaboration is both a creative partnership and a moral commitment to shared remembrance. The film stands as a powerful testament to how cinema can unite nations with parallel histories”, Cypriot producer Constantinos Nikiforou told FNE.
This project has been in the making for the past seven years, and it is produced by LifeTree Pictures LLC (Armenia), Fish eye Art Cultural Foundation (Armenia), Caretta Films (Cyprus), ARTBOX (Lithuania), and Aikštės filmai (Lithuania) with the support of the Deputy Ministry of Culture – Department of Contemporary Culture – Republic of Cyprus, the Cinema Foundation of Armenia, as well as Armenia’s Ministry of Culture, and in association with ARTsakh Arts and Cultural Foundation (USA), and Background Production (Armenia). The production partner is also Assante & Bimonte Productions (USA).
The postproduction has been made at The Lab (Czech Republic), West Media Gruppe (Germany), Cinema Sound Production (Ukraine), and Outline VFX (Armenia), and in cooperation with Glaam Media Invest (France) and Academy Films (Armenia).
The producers of the film are Masis Baghdasaryan (Fish eye Art Cultural Foundation, Armenia), Kestutis Drazdauskas (ARTBOX, and Aikštės filmai, Lithuania) and Constantinos Nikiforou (Caretta Films, Cyprus). The post coproducers are Steve Reverand, Martin Raiman, Armen Mayilyan, Valdimir Tretyakoff and Janus Pawlowski.
The executive producers are Adrineh Mirzayan, Armand Assante and Nick Bimonte, while the creative producers are Viken Léon Attarian and Vazgen Poghosyan.
The film was also financed by private investors. A crowdfunding campaign was launched on Kickstarter as well as Indiegogo InDemand. NFTs were also sold as part of the fundraising effort. Additionally, private screenings of the director’s films were held within Diasporan communities worldwide to help raise further funds.
The production used the Lithuanian tax incentive.
The total budget is 1.2 m EUR.
The filming took place in Bjni, Hrazdan, Ijevan, Yeghvart, and Yerevan (Armenia), as well as in Larnaca and Nicosia (Cyprus) and Vilnius (Lithuania). The shooting dates were August – September 2023 in Armenia, June 2024 in Cyprus, and November 2025 in Lithuania.
The international crew includes Lithuanian cinematographer Rytis Kurkulis, Lithuanian editor Ričardas Matačius, and Italian composer Michele Josia.
The producers are looking for a distributor who will help bring the film to international festivals and markets, and ensure it reaches a wide global audience.
Production Information:
Producers:
LifeTree Pictures LLC (Armenia)
Fish eye Art Cultural Foundation (Armenia)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ARTBOX (Lithuania)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Aikštės filmai (Lithuania)
Caretta Films (Cyprus)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Credits:
Director: Jivan Avetisyan
Scriptwriters: Narine Voskanyan, Monique Peterson
DoP: Rytis Kurkulis
Editor: Ričardas Matačius
Music: Michele Josia
Cast: Armand Assante, Robin Hairabian, Clémence Baudouin, Maia Morgenstern, Heino Ferch, Babken Chobanyan
